North Shore 79 MWV 0

North Shore Rugby turned a crisis into an opportunity on Saturday, after a sinkhole at GE Field caused a relocation to Manning Bowl. Some outstanding work by Jesse and Kristen Dole allowed NSRFC to grace the Manning Bowl field for the first time, with great results. The final score was somewhere in the neighborhood of 79-0, give or take a conversion or two. The visiting Bull Moose of Mount Washington Valley traveled down from the Attitash area with a determined side, fighting and hustling to the final whistle despite losing multiple players to injury. As for the game action, North Shore came out flying from the opening kickoff and found space and gaps between the Mount Washington defense. The backline of Matt Willey, Rich DePiero, Martin Mahoney, Jesse Brewer, Scott Marcoulier, Trevor Mazarura and Ross Arnold had many breaks which resulted in several early scores. The front five of Mike Magee, Reade Morrison, Danny Forsythe, Ken Spinale and Kevin Donovan gave the North Shore scrum stability, resulting in many steals and steady ball for Matt Willey at scrum half. The forwards also dominated in the lineouts, with Tony Buonaugurio barely contested all day. The back row of Buonaugurio, Matt Thibault, and Jesse Dole were a force on offense and defense. They were able track down Bull Moose ballcarriers and displayed the offensive mobility to push the ball downfield all day. Martin Mahoney opened the scoring early, finding a gap in the Bull Moose defense and touching down for a 5-0 lead. It wasn't long before another break found Tony Buonogaurio near the try zone with Ross Arnold in support, ready to receive a pass and grab five more points, converted for a 12-0 lead. It wasn't long before the forwards got in on the action, with Ken Spinale finding his way into the try zone with some hard running. Rich DePiero was next to find daylight, doing his best impression of Barry Sanders and juking Bull Moose defenders on the way to a score. The ever-dangerous Reade Morrison continued his usual strong play, adding to his scrum prowess and lineout throwing accuracy with a try. The score was roughly 30-0 at halftime, with North Shore thinking the second half would bring more of the same. The rucks were solid for the home team, with phases going down the field as if we planned it that way. In the second half, either the Bull Moose were a lot better, or North Shore was a lot worse, because a large chunk of time was spent with the visitors attacking and threatening to score. North Shore was saved by speed, as a few breaks relieved pressure and eventually led to scores. One run of note involved Jesse Brewer faking the Bull Moose fullback out of his jock, on his way to a 50+ meter run for a try. The scoring would continue for North Shore despite a serious amount of possession for Mount Washington, with Martin Mahoney and Reade Morrison re-acquainting themselves with the try zone, in addition to scores by Scott Marcoulier and Jesse Dole. Second half newcomers Andy Kerr and Morgan Rigby distributed smooth ball out to the North Shore backs before Kerr gave way to "el presidente" Gus del Puerto for more quality play, allowing the back line to attack on many occasions. Props Damien Bamberg and Jeff West brought the cavalry and kept the hits coming as well as a strong scrummage. Misc notes: Matt Thibault ran through approximately 200 tackles on the day. Chad Horn and Scott Marcoulier were huge in goal-line defense, forming an impenetrable wall and maintaining the shutout. The forwards stopped a five-meter Bull Moose penalty in its tracks, giving no ground whatsoever. Trevor Maz was the primary victim of the narrow Manning Bowl pitch. Liam Brady somehow finagled his way past his wife and Des onto the field for a few minutes. This was as much detail as I could remember/fake, so if you have corrections/ actual accurate information, email me. Thanks to Bull Moose for a spirited game and a wake-up call in the second half. Drink-up was a good time as expected. Best wishes to Emmanuel Isiko, the Bull Moose rugger who was taken off with a serious leg injury. North Shore XV 1) Mike Magee --> Jeff West 2) Reade Morrison 3) Danny Forsythe --> Damien Bamberg 4) Ken Spinale--> Liam Brady 5) Kevin Donovan 6) Jesse Dole 7) Matt Thibault 8) Tony Buonaugurio 9) Matt Willey --> Andy Kerr --> Gus del Puerto 10) Rich DePiero --> Morgan Rigby 11) Ross Arnold --> Chad Horn 12) Martin Mahoney 13) Jesse Brewer 14) Trevor Maz 15) Scott Marcoulier